Libertyville High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Libertyville High School

motto = "Excellence is our standard."
established = 1917
co-principals = Dr. James Whittington and Mr. Michael Stevens
type = Public secondary
grades = 9–12
city = 708 W. Park Avenue
Libertyville
state = Illinois
country = USA
enrollment = 1,853
faculty = 157
campus = Suburban
newspaper = "Drops of Ink"
yearbook = Nautilus
mascot = Willie the Wildcat
colors = Orange and Black
website = [http://lhswildcats.org/ lhswildcats.org]
picture =

Libertyville High School, or LHS, is a public four-year high school located in Libertyville, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is located at the intersection of Park Avenue (IL Rte 176) and Dawes Street and is part of Community High School District 128, which also includes Vernon Hills High School.

History

The school was originally founded as Libertyville Township High School in 1917. The original building (The Brainerd Campus) still stands today, although it is mostly unused due to safety concerns (asbestos). The Brainerd Campus is currently being used for athletic practice meets and is also used as a venue at which local bands can play. The current, pictured building opened its doors in 1956. In 2003, Libertyville High School began a $9 million expansion project to add new offices, classrooms and an expansion for the school's band.

In the upcoming film "Public Enemies", footage of the school's science lab, an office, the school's front entrance, and the locker rooms was filmed during spring break of March. The 2001 film Newport South was also filmed at Libertyville High School.

Feeder schools

Before going to LHS, students attend Libertyville District 70, where they would go to Adler Park Elementary School, Butterfield Elementary School, Copeland Manor Elementary School, or Rockland Elementary School, then Highland Middle School. Students from Oak Grove School, a K-8 school in Green Oaks, and students of Hawthorn District 73 who live in Libertyville, also feed into LHS.

Academics

In 2005, LHS had an average composite ACT score of 22.1, and graduated 99.2% of its senior class. Libertyville has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act. [ [http://www.d128.org/files/documents/2005_LHS_Report_Card.pdf Illinois School Report Card] ]

The staff includes 157 teachers, of whom 88% hold an advanced degree. [ [http://www.district128.org/files/documents/LHS_2005_profile.pdf School Profile] ]

"Newsweek" ranked LHS #779 nationwide and 22nd in Illinois. [ [http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380/?sort=Rank&count=1236&start=0&limit=100&year=2006&Search=undefined America's Top Public High Schools 2006] ] In 2007 Libertyville ranked #690 on the list. [ [http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380/?sort=Rank&count=1351&Search=&start=600&limit=100&year=2007& America's Top Public High Schools 2007] ]

In 2004, Libertyville was awarded the "Bright Red Apple Award of Excellence" for its eleventh consecutive year by SchoolSearch.Fact|date=February 2008 This award is based on five factors: academic achievement, student/teacher ratio, expenditures per pupil, educational level of teachers, and average teacher salary. Only 70 of the 894 Illinois school districts received this honor.

Athletics

Libertyville competes in the North Suburban Conference. Its mascot is the Wildcat.

Libertyville's rivals are Stevenson High School, Lake Forest High School, Vernon Hills High School, and Carmel Catholic High School.Fact|date=September 2008

In 2005 Libertyville put in a modern FieldTurf field, along with new speakers. This improvement allows all sports to constantly utilize the field for practice as well as games, as the turf does not break down and requires minimal maintenance.

Wildcat Football

The Wildcats were state runners-up in 2003.Fact|date=September 2008 In 2004, the school's varsity football team won the Class 7A State Championship.Fact|date=September 2008

Wildcat Wrestling

The LHS Wrestling team has made multiple Elite Eight appearances and got Fourth at IHSA State tournament in 2007-2008.

Wildcat Baseball

The LHS Baseball team was state runner-up in 1976.Fact|date=September 2008

Wildcat Girls Soccer

In 1991 and 2001 the school's varsity girls soccer team won the State Championship.Fact|date=December 2007

Wildcat Boys Basketball

Libertyville's boys basketball team advanced to the IHSA Class AA Semifinals in 1991.Fact|date=December 2007

Wildcat Volleyball

In 2007, the girls' varsity volleyball team won 4th place medals at the state competition.

Wildcat Boys Lacrosse

Libertyville's boys lacrosse team placed second in the state in 2004 and has made multiple final four appearances.Fact|date=December 2007

Activities

The school's mathematics team won state in 2002 and 2004. They were runner-up in 2002 and 2005. The Speech Cats won 2nd place for small schools during their home tournament in the 2005-2006 school year. The Academic Decathlon team finished 5th in state in 2005.Fact|date=December 2007 The Scholastic Bowl team placed fourth in state in 2007. [ [http://www.ihsa.org/school/records/sum1224.htm IHSA activity & athletic records for Libertyville] ]

The Libertyville High School Wind Ensemble, has performed at several national and international music conferences. In 1998 and 2004, the Wind Ensemble performed at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic for an international audience of music professionals. In addition, the Wind Ensemble has either won the University of Illinois Superstate Band Competition or been the honor band in every year from 1996-2005.Fact|date=December 2007 The school's jazz band has won one of the local jazz festivals every year for over twenty years.Fact|date=December 2007 In 2007 the Wind Ensemble won the National Wind Band Honors in Class AAAA high schools, one of the highest honors in the country.Fact|date=December 2007 The Wind Ensemble also performed at the Bands of America festival in Indianapolis in 2007.

There are currently three Libertyville orchestras. The Symphony Orchestra performed for the Midwest Clinic in 2004. Every other year the orchestra performs throughout the world. They have been to China, Italy, and many other places. Fact|date=December 2007

Each year, the Fine and Performing Arts department presents a fall musical, a winter play, a spring play, and an evening of student-directed one-act plays. LHS was the first high school in Illinois, as well as one of the first in the country, to perform the internationally known musical "Les Misérables".Fact|date=December 2007

pecial interest clubs

*F.B.L.A. (Future Business Leaders of America)
*CAT-TV
*Library Anime Club
*Science Olympiad
*Math Team
*Scholastic Bowl
*Model United Nations team
*Debate Team
*Speech Team
*Mock Trial
*Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering
*Slant of Light (Literary Magazine)
*French Club
*Spanish Club
*Interact
*Belle Choir, Treblemakers, Cleftomaniacs
*FCA
*Ping Pong Club
*Birdwatching Club
*L.E.A.F. (Libertyville Environmental Action Force)

Notable alumni

*Marlon Brando (did not graduate) is a two time Academy Award winning actor. [ [http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=133751 Lissau, Russell, "Universal sets sights on Libertyville High", 13 February 2008, "Daily Herald"; accessed 14 September 2008] ]
*Brett Butler, baseball playerFact|date=December 2007
*Maureen Herman, bassist for the band Babes in Toyland
*Adam Jones, guitarist for the band ToolFact|date=December 2007
*mc chris, nerdcore rapper and Adult Swim voice actor
*Tom Morello, guitarist for the bands Rage Against the Machine and AudioslaveFact|date=December 2007
*Ike Reilly, of the band The Ike Reilly AssassinationFact|date=December 2007
*Kevin Walter, football player for the Houston TexansFact|date=December 2007

References

External links

* [http://lhswildcats.org/ Libertyville High School Official website]
* [http://www.wildcatsfootball.org/ Libertyville High School Football Official website]
* [http://www.ihsfw.com/links/L_Folder/Libertyville.html IHSFW.com's Libertyville football page] (news website)
* [http://www.wildcatsbaseball.com/ Libertyville High School Baseball]
* [http://www.lhsmusic.com/ Libertyville High School Music Department]
* [http://209.7.8.164/itfiles/2006LHSReportCard.pdf 2006 Libertyville High School Report Card]